Taxpayers Should Not Fund Biden's Vague, Undefined Environmental Slush Fund

Press Release

Today, President Joe Biden announced a $1 billion "America the Beautiful Challenge." House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued the following statement in response:

"The Biden administration continues to weaponize the bipartisan goal of conserving America's natural treasures and vast resources by turning this noble concept into a thinly veiled excuse for land grabs and billion-dollar slush funds. Rebranded or not, the '30 by 30' initiative and this new 'challenge fund' are blatant attempts to sidestep Congress and recklessly fund the Biden administration's liberal wish list with no transparency or accountability. Even today, the administration could not answer basic questions on where this $1 billion will come from, what projects it will support or under whose authority this program will be created. Not only that, but Biden's war on American energy has directly impacted energy-based revenue streams like the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which were already funding conservation projects across the country. Now as inflation is skyrocketing and Americans face sticker shock at the gas pump and grocery store, the Biden administration's solution is to spend more money they don't have. If Biden actually cared about conservation, he would support domestic energy production, which provides hundreds of millions of dollars annually towards numerous conservation programs. Instead, he's presenting a wolf in sheep's clothing that writes a blank check at the taxpayer's expense."

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